Housing in the United Kingdom

Housing in the United Kingdom represents the largest non-financial asset class in the UK; its overall net value passed the £8 trillion mark in 2023. This reflects a marginal decrease of 0.3% from the previous year, yet it remains £1.585 trillion higher than levels in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Housing includes modern and traditional styles. About 30% of homes are owned outright by their occupants, and a further 40% are owner-occupied on a mortgage. Around 18% are social housing of some kind, and the remaining 12% are privately rented.

The UK ranks in the top half in Europe with regard to rooms per person, amenities and quality of housing.

However, the cost of housing as a proportion of income is higher than average amongst European Union (EU) member-states, and the increasing cost of housing in the UK may constitute a housing crisis for many especially in London, — the rate of over fivefold house price increases far exceeding the inflation rate of just little above twofold over the last three decades — with housing nationally being typically the larger driver of inflation over the three decades preceding 2022 compared to food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Housing and planning decisions are administered by local authorities, but overall comes under the jurisdiction of the Minister of State for Housing as part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government at Whitehall in London, with the responsibilities as devolved matters to corresponding departments in the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, responsible for communities and local government in their jurisdictions.